Bag lock



QN, `NN NN NN @mm WN M. Nm 1mm uw. QNVHL M wwwwmmmm @Nw INVENTOR 45K/:HAM fw/vf ATTORNEY A. LEVINE Nov. 6, 1934.

BAG LOCK Patented Nov. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BAG LooK Abraham Levine, Elizabeth, N. J. Apliiieatigmarch 9, 193s, serial No. 660,176

,I l11 claims.

This invention relates to .latching and locking devices especially adapted foruse on traveling bags, and the like.

Heretofore, the latching of suitcases and bags of the Gladstone type, and the like; has been somewhat inconvenient in that it has been necessary to hold the bagclosed with one hand and manipulate the latch with kthe othery hand. Also, it has been customary to provide means for locking the bag from surreptitious vopening Vindependently of the latching devices, thus increasing the cost of latching and locking hardware for bags. I

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a latching device for bags whichis automatic in operation and requires `no othermanipulation than the bringing of the frame members of the two parts of a bag together.

A further object is the provision of a latching device for bags having associated therewith key operable means for locking the latched parts against surreptitious releasing.

A further object is the`provision of a locking and latching device for bags concealed in a casing which protects the device from dust and injury while the bag is being handled.r

A further object is the provision of an automatic bag latching device having associated therewith key operable locking means, said device beingsimple in structure and havingrelatively few parts, which enable it to be manufactured at a comparatively low cost. 1

'I'hese and other objects are attained Aby the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter describedv and shown in the accompanying drawing, constitutingI a material part of this disclosure, and `in which:

Fig. 1 isa perspective View of a bag embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective View of my latching and locking device. l v .l

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the devicewiththe cover removed showing the parts in an unlatched condition.

Fig. 4 is a similar plan view showing the parts when in a latching condition.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the latching and locking device attached to a bag frame member.

Referring to the drawing, in Fig. 1 is shown a bag 10, of the suitcase or Gladstone type, having a pair of hingedly connected frame members as is common in such bags, one of the frame members 13 having mounted thereon my latching device generally denoted by the numeral 11, the frame member also having attached thereto a handle 12;V

The other frame member 14, see Fig. 4has attached thereto a catch carrying member 50.

Referring to Fig. 2, the latching device is shown to comprise a rectangular casingl, having at each end a pair of upwardly projecting tangs 16 which are adapted to pass through apertures in the frame member 13, the' tangs being bent over to securely hold the casing to the frame member. Adjacent the tangs 16 and substantially integral therewith are nibs 17, which are slightly inclined to engage a cooperating edge 71 of a cover plate 35 for the casing.

Slidably mounted on'the bottom of the casing l5 isa plate 18 having a rectangular slot 19 and two spaced upstanding flanges 20 and 21, the flange 20 having beveled edges 20 and 21', while the ange 21 has a beveled edge 202. The beveled edges 20 and 21 respectively project into cut-out sections 22 and 23 in the adjacent side Wall of the casing 15, while the bevel edge 202 projects into a similar cut-out section 22 in the same side wall.

Struck up from the plate 18 is a lug 24 which bears against a coiled compression spring 26 attached to a saddle slidably positioned on the plate l8,the saddle having a projection 29 normally resting in a notch '72 in a tumbler-27, which is cylindrical in shape and has also a diagonally disposed similar notch 28.

I Projecting from the under side ofthe tumbler 27 isa cylindrical pin 73 which is rotatably positioned in an aperture in the bottom plate of the casing 15. The tumbler 27 is provided with a slot 30 to receive a key which passes through a cap 32 mounted on the tumbler, the cap having an irregular slot 33 therein so that only a key of a predetermined shape may be used. The under side of the tumbler hasmintegral therewithv a lug 31' for a purpose hereinafter explained.

.Attached to the cover plate 35 is a casing 34 having a slot 36 in its upper wa1l.\ A` lever 3'7 is pivotally mounted on the side walls of the casing 34 at 39,the portion of the lever below the pivot 39 having" apair. of cusped recesses 40 and 41 adapted to .engage the' curvedportion of a leaf spring 42 attached to the' plate 35 at 43. The lever 3'7 also has a downwardlyprojecting por-V tion 44 adapted to engage the lug 24 to move the plate 18 against the action of the.' spring 26. A cylindrical boss 38 at the end of the lever, .see Fig. 2 is adapted to rest on the cap 32 to holdv the leverinxa horizontal position when. the. casing 34 is closed:v i A Positioned above the casing 34 is an'escutcheon plate45having a slot-,.46 to accommodatethe `751. Whentheiever 37 is maehbrizontn.positiorrag surfaces .20', andu202 2 zLa. casing 34, and a tongue 4'? at each end thereof, the tongues 47 passing through slots 48 in the bottom plate of the casing 15 and bent over the underside of the bottom plate, as shown in Fig. 5, to securely hold the plate 45 in position, the plate in turn preventing unauthorized access to the tangs 16 so that the latching and locking device can not be removed Without iirst unlocking it withthe proper key.

Thefeateh erryine. member eensiete f e flat plate which is attached to the bag frame member 14, see Figs. 4, 2, and has projecting therefrom a pair of spaced catches 49 and an ing, clined cam member 51.

In operation, when the lever 37 is in the position shown in Fig. 5, the leaf spririg, 42:, engages the cusped recess 40 and the portion `4'4'f"the lever bears against lug 24 tb" icefplate. ft'o the right, Fig. 5, which movement positions beveled edges 20' and 202 out of the cut-outpern .22fSQ @et the .QQ-.Qh 4.912%. Hetfrly nt0.t,1}e...s.in IQWQYQX a hlelclg QQ. the?. Cellgr.. 1.5, the.. Cam mfmbf.- 5l Qn' gaeestlie. beveled. surieee 21f`end resegraen ...Iver 3.',1fa1idaeVee-ihe gees.. 2.1m the Se. e direetienegthetihe.leerelees gage the; eetehee 4.9. end heldelle @here 1.3,.end. 14 1.1 elaiehed eenf the same time the lever` 3y is .r

heifer u so that the leaf spring 42 enga "Obv''eielv, 110,. unleeeh. the.y freine.. memleele@ it. is. only] neeeeearvte( feree elle levern Si te elle. eeeiteewh e. fhaeprleeeZ eneeeeeeeeee.. Q. eeehewn. Fia. y Whiehmevee. the p1 13 he eetehee! 4.9. are.. free. er i. the beveled and..merbewieadrewn-x Wheahe ,fremanielarerelerejletehedenaihe lever 37 is in a vertical position With the...Splll` 42 engaging. reeeee- 4.1, a, key. can be ,inserted .the

v.c1 awel gvaeasagemegt Wiieetne., o `120211. .y "Pt'ielmee ei/e.. determina.. ie .Wil-.1.y rbeseeea thetlzhere. Previdedie .simnleeletehina'deviee ef.- JL... Whieh.ieeliegmatie.-negeren@ 1t beine. ..er.1.l.y...ne.ees.earr .to .brnathafranie .merle bere ieseiller. tn lateh-,ihemrregardless-.0L the. positon,..0f.1t1i1.e.lever'w. After .themembersl and .14, .haveleeenlaiched tneranbeloekeet such, aV condition bysimplyro tating.,the..tl1m

lbler '21,.whlchisassociated with the. latching;4

device.

`'The device. maybe readily. attached.cto bag. framesby" unskilled persons, `it being.onlyLneces.-..

sary to :bend ith'ejtangs `ltiover .the framemema,

bei13,"`and then be'ndr.the tonguesLA'l oventhe underside "of 'the bottom plate. ofthecasing. .15.;. and the lever 37,.when.invja horizontal vposition. as shown'iiniligl 1,..serves to conceal. the locking4` meansand .also "to protecttheparts from'sdust. aride'injury. e t l `Whenin `a horizontal .position,. the..upper...sur.. face of the lever 37 is substantiallygflushwithlthe; upperfsurface f' the upperl'l Wall Lof. casing.. 34.

shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, the arm 44 projects above the surface of the lever and the upper Wall of the casing 34 to provide a iinger piece to facilitate rotation of the lever to a vertical position to expose the locking means.

The catch can be inserted in the casing regardless of the position of the lever 37. Should the lever 37 be in the horizontal position or in a vertical position, the flanges and 21k partially cover the slots 22 and 22'4 and. obstruct the passage of the catches 49 into the casing. In order to facilitate the passage of the catches through the slots, the catches have rounded ends which have, a camming action on the beveled edges 20 and202 to cam the iianges 20 and 2l out of the Way, against the action of the spring 26.

The spring 42 is stronger than spring 26, and

consequently, the lever will be effectively held in either ofits three positions, the spring 42 and the recesses 40, 4l serving as a resilient detent.

When. the. lever 357-.` isl movedr tothe position shown. in fu1l.lines.in-.Eig. 5, the flanges 20V and 21 are moved to uncover the slots 22, 22 to release the.l catches49. At .thesame time, the bevelededge 21..' actsupon. the. cam 5'1 to force the cam.. and catches out ofr thecasing to automaticallyopen the bag by. simply moving the lever to the :position shown in Fig. 5.

The.. foregoing. disclosure is. to Vbe regarded `as descriptive.. and illustrative only, and'inot as re. strictive or. limitative. of the. invention, off which obviously.4v an embodiment: may-bev constructed including modifications Without departing from the-.general scope hereinindicated anddenoted in theappendedclaims..

Having thus described myl invention, what; I claim. asy nem-and. desire.. to` secure by Letter Patent, is

1. A.latching..device for, traveling bags, comprising a'catch carrying.member` having apair. of 'i spaced; apart catches. projecting.. therefrom, a casing having a wall'. providedawithspaced apart slotsarrangedz to enable vv.the .catches to enter the casing, a .cam projecting -from:.the. catch carrying memberv intermediateiof thecatches, said casing Wall having also a slottoreceive said gcam, a plate slidably .mountedin the-casing., said plate. having aparfof upwardly i. projecting.. beveled edged anges,v one,.of said iiangesbeing v,of such a length as to have at all times one jofits beveled edges in thepath. of l one .of the. catches ,or of` the., cam member as they pass through-.corresponding slots inthe .Wall ofthe casing, resilient means normally maintaining the plate ina position sothat said flanges partially-cover the'catchreoeiving slots, a lever pivotally mounted onthe `casing -and arranged to# engage the plate to move the plate to a position so that the anges uncover the catch, receiving slots, andresilientdetent means to hold the lever in various pcrnsitions,v

2. A latching, devicefor traveling bags, comprisingufaJ ,bar havingaccatch and. a. cam projecting therefrom, a casing having a Wall provided Withslots togreceive ,theatch and cam, a plate sildably mounted inv the casingsaid plate having anl upvvardl y, projecting .beveled edges fiange varranged adjacentsaid slots, said flange-,being Vof such a length as to. have `at, fallu-.times one of its beveled edeeepreieetine inieeitherihe Catch re` ISE the `plateto.position .Saidbeveled edgerout Qi .the i5@ catch receiving slot and to position the other beveled edge in the cam receiving slot.

3. A latching device for traveling bags, comprising a bar having a catch and a cam project- Y ing therefrom, a casing having a wall provided with slots to receive the catch and cam, a plate slidably mounted in the casing, said plate having a pair or upwardly projecting members arranged so that at all times there is one of the members obstructing the passage of either the catch or the cam through their respective slots, resilient means acting on the plate to normally maintain one of the members to obstruct the passage of the catch through the catch receiving slot, and means supported by the casing to move the plate to position the member to enable free passage of the catch through its slot.

4. A latching device for traveling bags, comprising a bar having a catch and a cam projecting therefrom, a casing having a wall provided With slots to receive the catch and cam, a plate slidably mounted in the casing, said plate having a pair of upwardly projecting members arranged so that at all times there is one of the members obstructing the passage of either the catch or the cam through their respective slots, resilient means acting on the plate to normally maintain one oi the members in a position to obstruct the passage of the catch through the catch receiving slot, means supported by the casing to move the plate to a position so that the passage of the catch through its slot is unobstructed, and key controlled means mounted in the casing to prevent movement of the plate.

5. A latching device for traveling bags, comprising a bar having a catch and a cam projecting therefrom, a casing having a wall provided with slots to receive the catch and cam, a pair of members mounted in the casing to slide in unison and arranged so that at all times one of the members is positioned to prevent passage of either the catch or the cam through their respective slots, resilient means to normally maintain one of the members in the path of the catch, and means supported by the casing to move said members so that the passage of the catch is unobstructed.

6. In a latching and locking device for traveling bags, a bar having a catch and a cam projecting therefrom, a casing having a vWall provided with slots to receive the catch and cam, a plate slidably mounted in the casing, said plate having a pair of upwardly projecting members arranged so that lat all times there is one of the members obstructing the passage of either the catch or the cam through their respective slots, a lug projecting from the plate, a saddle slidably mounted on the plate, a compression spring abutting the saddle and the lug, said plate having a slot therein, a tumbler rotatably mounted in the bottom of the casing and passing upward through the slot in the plate and abutting the saddle to prevent movement of the saddle in one direction so that the pressure of the spring on the lug will normally maintain the plate in a.,position to place one of the members in the path of the catch through its slot, means supported by the casing to move the plate to a position so that the passage of the catch through its slot is unobstructed, said tumbler in one position allowing f-ree movement of the plate, a lug on the tumbler to engage the plate to prevent movement of the plate when the tumbler is rotated to another position, and means associated with the tumbler and saddle to frictionally hold the tumbler in either of said positions.

7. In a locking device for traveling bags, a casing, a plate slidably mounted in the casing and having a slot, a lug projecting from the plate, a saddle slidably mounted on the plate, a compression spring abutting the lug and the saddle, a tumbler rotatably mounted in the casing and passing upward through said slot and abutting the saddle to prevent movement of the saddle in one direction, so that the pressure of the spring on the lug will normally maintain the plate in a predetermined position, said tumbler in one position allowing free movement of the plate, a lug on the tumbler to engage the plate to prevent movement of the plate when the tumbler is rotated to another position, and means associated with the tumbler and saddle to frictionally hold the tumbler in either of said positions.

8. In a latching and locking device for traveling bags, a bar having a catch and a cam projecting therefrom, a casing having a wall provided with slots to receive the catch and cam, a pair of members mounted in the casing to slide in unison and arranged so that at all times one of the members is positioned to prevent passage of either the catch or the cam through their respective slots, resilient means to normally maintain one of the members in the path of the catch, means supported by the casing to move said members so that the passage of the catch is unobstructed, a key controlled tumbler rotatably mounted in the casing, said tumbler in one position allo-wing free movement of said members, means on the tumbler to prevent movement of the members when the tumbler is rotated to another position, and detent means to frictionally hold the tumbler in either of said positions.

9. In a latching and locking device for traveling bags, a lower casing, latching means mounted in the casing, an upper casing mounted on the lower casing, key operable locking means mounted in the lower casing and associated with the latching means, said locking means projecting upwardly into the upper casing, said upper casing having a. slot in its upper wall to enable access to the locking means, and a lever pivotally mounted on the upper casing and associated with the latching means, said lever in one position closing the slot in the upper casing to conceal the locking means and protect the same from dust and the like.

10. In a bag, a frame member, a casing attached to the frame mem-ber and having a slot in its upper wall, a lever pivotally mounted on the casing and arranged to assume a plurality of positions, a latching device associated with the lever, a locking device associated with the latching device, and having a key receiving element positioned in the casing, said lever in one position completely closing said slot to conceal the key receiving element and to protect the same from dust and the like.

11. In a bag, a :frame member, a casing attached to the frame member and having a slot in its upper wall, a lever pivotally mounted on the casing and arranged to assume a plurality of positions, a key receiving element of a locking device positioned in the casing, said lever when in a horizontal position having its upper surface substantially iiush with the upper surface of the upper wall of the casing and completely closing the slot to conceal the key receiving element, and

a lug on the lever to facilitate moving the lever to another position.

ABRAHAM LEVINE. 

